Friday, October 22, 2010

The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar presents "Know-Nothings and Tea Parties: Midterm Elections Past and Present"

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The rhetoric is heating up as Americans prepare to cast their votes this fall. How does the campaign trail of 2010 compare to that of the Civil War era? Join former Virginia Secretary of Administration Viola Baskerville, political historians Scott Nesbit (University of Richmond) and Rachel A. Shelden (University of Virginia), and Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro at the Virginia State Capitol for a fascinating look at the political process past and present. 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., House Room 3, Virginia State Capitol. Fee: $15

To purchase tickets, please call 804.780.1865 x10 or you can purchase at the event. www.tredegar.org

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

In June of 1865, Medal of Honor recipient Christian A. Fleetwood wrote a letter explaining why he chose not to re-enlist in the United States Colored Troops. Towards the end of the letter he expressed disappointment and disillusionment:

A double purpose induced me and most others to enlist, to assist in abolishing slavery and to save the country from ruin. Something in furtherance of both objects we have certainly done, and now it strikes me that more could be done for our welfare in the pursuits of civil life. I think that a camp life would be decidedly an injury to our people. No matter how well and faithfully they may perform their duties they will shortly be considered as 'lazy nigger sojers'-as drones in the great hive.

Fleetwood was concerned about the poor treatment that black Union soldiers were still receiving after the war. In the years immediately following the war, he repeatedly expressed fears that the contributions made by the United States Colored Troops would fade from public memory and that their heroic deeds would be forgotten.

In 1886, another former USCT – John C. Brock – wrote:

Examine our school histories, if you please, and you will find very little, if any, reference made to the fact that nearly 200,000 colored men shouldered the musket and went forth to so and die, that the foul blot of slavery might be forever erased from our national banner.

Well, it appears as if the fears of Fleetwood, Brock, and countless others are coming true – at least in Virginia history textbooks. The new 4th grade history book Our Virginia: Past and Present written by one Joy Masoff (who allegedly did most of her research on the World Wide Web) has a section about Black Confederates.

And it’s not just the usual “Oooh, look at this picture of Silas Chandler – see, there MUST have been Black Confederates!” type of palaver – Masoff writes “Thousands of Southern blacks fought in the Confederate ranks, including two black battalions under the command of Stonewall Jackson.”

Thousands.

I could find no mention of whether or not the topic of black Union soldiers is discussed in the book (at least they're on the cover).

In the end, it might not even matter. If some blacks fought for the South and some blacks fought for the North, well…I guess they were just like the rest of the country – regular old folks who just happened to disagree on, uh…states rights, or tariffs – or something like that. I mean, they were all true Americans anyway, right? Why get bogged down in details?

Hmmm…

As David Blight said in the Washington Post article that broke the story, “It's more than just an arcane, off-the-wall problem. This isn't just about the legitimacy of the Confederacy, it's about the legitimacy of the emancipation itself.”

Just when the Commonwealth recovers from the Confederate Heritage Month fiasco, this comes to the surface. Troubling, methinks.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Well dear readers, my 100th posting on this blog has come and gone and some of you may be wondering why there has been such a dearth of postings as of late.

So, without going into too much detail, here’s a brief synopsis of what my life has been like since the Signature Conference in Norfolk on September 24th.

Since then, I:

a. Gave a battlefield tour out at New Market Heights which was attended by around 20 folks;

b. Had a not-so-fun trip to the emergency room, which I am still unfortunately feeling the ill effects of;

c. Resigned from my position with Henrico County (the 26th will be my last day); and

And, all the while I have been plugging away at my New Market Heights manuscript, trying to ensure that the text will be as excellent and appealing as the maps (yes, master cartographer Steve Stanley has agreed to make the maps for the book).

That’s about it for now. I’m hoping to get some more information posted soon, but until then don’t be a stranger, ya hear?

“Jimmy's book is excellent and highly recommended! …The honor was mine in being able to work with this fine author.” - Don Troiani, Historical Artist

“Thanks to Mr. Price’s diligent research, students of the war finally have a volume that details one of the most important, if not the most important, moments in United States African American military history.” - Jim Lighthizer, President, Civil War Trust

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Disclaimer

The views expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not reflect those of any group, organization, or institution.

About Me

Jimmy Price is a Museum Education Specialist with the National Museum of the United States Army. An Air Force veteran, he received his M.A. in Military History from Norwich University in 2009. His first book, The Battle of NewMarket Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword, was published in 2011. The Journal of Southern History claims “this slim volume offers considerable insight regarding the black military experience.” His second book, The Battle of First Deep Bottom was released to critical acclaim in 2014. Jimmy writes about different aspects of military history on his blogs Freedom by the Sword: A Historian’s Journey through the American Civil War Era andOver There: Blogging the AEF and WWI. He has contributed essays to A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign (edited by Edward G. Lengel), Hallowed Groundmagazine, and the International Encyclopedia of the First World War. He lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia with his wife and three children.